BUILDING BETTER BONES

Unhealthy habits put today’s children at extreme riskof osteoprosis . here’s how to protect them , and yourself .

Every time a child takes a soft drink, he is laying the groundwork for a dangerous bone disease.  No, fizzy and sugary drinks don’t cause osteoporosis. But because they’re often a substitute for a glass of milk , kids and not getting the calcium and vitamin D they need to build a strong skeleton.Many of them also lead a sedentary lifestyle, so they aren’t     getting the bone – building benefits of vigorous exercise either. These children aren’t just in jeopardy for brittle bones and fracture decades down the road: They could be risk of osteoporosis at a  younger age than ever before .

Parents should view this seriously

Most osteoporosis experts are trying to spread awareness about this bone crippling disease . osteoprosis starts in childhood but has consequences later in life.  The condition causes bones to become riddled with holes, like the frame of house that’s been attacked by termites. That can lead to broken bones, which in turn can cause deformity ,chronic pain or disability osteoprosis can even be fatal : up to 25 percent of older people who suffer a broken hip die within a year.

Osteoporosis isn’t just your grandmother’s  health threat. Although it strikes over 50 million women in india,it also menaces over 12 million men and unaccounted million more have low bone mass.  It’s a silent disease and doesn’t get detected in most causes until after the patiant’s first fracture. Osteoporsis cause  loss of height , pain in joints and back , fractures and fear of fracture , and can be very depressin. So it is important that we adopt preventive measures to save millions of people .

These ‘s a new medical understanding of the best ways to protect ourselves – and our children . simple lifestyle change and proper nutrition will help save your bones.  The sooner you get moving the better.”

Do all children need supplements?

Ideally, kids and adults should get their daily calcium guota through a healthy diet. Taking milk ?Dairy products of all types will do the trick. Other good sources include sardines, indian  carp, leafy-green vegitables like ragi (finger millet), soya , calcium-fortified juices and breakfast cereal. Encourage your children to have two to three servings of these bone –bulider daily. And if they shun milk because they think its fattening , let them know the latest research shows the opposite is true: kids with the highest milk consumption are also the slimmest , while those who drink the most sweetened beverages, unsurprisingly , are the heaviest .

If your child is getting insufficient calcium from his diet , go for supplements  or consult with your urs paediatric rheumatollogist. There are many supplements now avilable in market, inclide flavoured , chewable 250 and 500mg tablets. There are also liquid preparations to choose from .but be warned ! calcium is best absorbed in small amounts so don’t give more than 500mg at a time .” adult lacking in this bone – bulding mineral can take 1000mg daily preferably500 in the morning and 500 at night .

What Vitamin D can Do ?

Vitamin D is essential for our body so it can absorb the calcium it gets from food supplements , and helps in forming new bones. Are you getting enough vitamin D? The AIIMS study in northern india also found that over 80 % of the children also had moderate to severe vitamin D deficiency . This is extremely worrying and  there’s growing scientific consensus among experts that the current  guidelines of 200 IU (international units) for adults under 50 , and 400 to 600 IU for older people , are too low .

Even a little more can only do good there is growing evidence to suggest that lack of vitamin D can lead to a host of illness es like diabites, prostate , colon and other cancer, in addition to osteoporosis”

Unfortunately vitamin D is found in just a handful of foods like egg yolk and cod liveroil. People can get this vitamin naturally through exposure to the sun. it is ironic that although we have ample sunshine in our country studies show indians tend to be deficient in vitamin D . and this more so in the case of urban indians because they spend more daytime indoors than rural folk. So make it a habit to be outdoors in the sun for 20 to 30 minutes just after sunrise or before sunset.

Studies also show that skin production of the vitamin dwindles in older people even if they’re frequently exposed to sun . suggesting that a supplement might be the best way to safeguard their bone health .

A TEST THAT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE

Because osteoprosis often causes no symptoms at all until a fall snaps a bone , the only way to tell if you have it is via a bone mineral density test  . this prosedure is advised for all women over 50

USE  IT OR LOSE IT

As  you age , you lose bone faster than you produce it .over the five to seven years after menopause , women can lose up to 20 %of their  bone mass due to oestrogen deficiency . paying extra attention to bone health can  lessen the damage , however . Men are also affected by age – related skeletal  loss, but not  as dramatically , since their larger  frames  provide a higher peak bone  mass and their hormones don’t  plunge after age 50.

 Our  skeleton needs regular exercise at every age to  stay strong, but  we’re getting  more and more sedentary .  “Physical activity  is very critical for retaining bone mass”.  Children and adult should exercise to keep their bones healthy : 60 minutes of physical activity a day for kids and 30 minutes for adults.  A combination of weight – bearing routines (such as walking , jogging, stairs-clinbing, or dancing      pluse resistance exercise like weight – lifting)is the ideal recipe for bone  health .

For children , jumping is a fun way to bone up. The researcher contrasted elementry school girls who took gym classes to  those who also did ten minites of high – impact  jumping exercise , three times a week. At the end of the two – year study , the jumping exercise group had a nearly five percent  increase in bone mass .other weight –bearing exercise with kid appeal include skipping , tennis , and team sports , such as football

  “ Its never too late to adopt bone – frendly habits – exersise , get  enough sunlight , have adequate  calcium . this way , we can keep our bones healthy and prevent osteoporosis”

By - Dr.Jitendra Dhandia